Ottawa stymies Battalion
Jasper Kuhta scored one goal and assisted on another, leading the Ottawa 67’s to a 3-1 victory over the North Bay Battalion in an Ontario Hockey League game Friday night.
Ondrej Ruml and Shaan Kingwell also scored for Ottawa, while rookie goaltender Ryder Fetterolf made 21 saves in his first OHL appearance before 2,560 at Boart Longyear Memorial Gardens.
Ottawa has two wins in as many games in the young OHL season, after defeating the host Kingston Frontenacs 6-2 on Sept. 19.
Arseny Pronin scored for North Bay, with goaltender Mike McIvor providing 27 saves. The Battalion has a won-lost-extended record of 2-1-0.
The Troops had Ethan Procyszyn, Lirim Amidovski, Shamar Moses and Bronson Ride in the lineup after they returned from National Hockey League camps.
“This game is going to help us get better,” said Battalion coach Ryan Oulahen. “You can just see the physicality, the compete level, the one-on-one battles, all those things, it ramps up. It’s not exhibition anymore. Everybody’s got their full rosters, so you’ve got to bring it every night and every shift to have success.”
Finnish import Kuhta, at the left circle, scored with the man advantage at 5:08 of the first period, tipping home Nathan Amidovski’s shot from high on the left wing. Kohyn Eshkawkogan also assisted.
The 67’s forged a 9-3 edge in shots in the period, as they enjoyed all four power plays, a pattern that had the crowd disgruntled.
“You can’t take four minors in a period,” said Oulahen. “There’s no chance you’re going to have success. We talked about that. Yeah, the penalty kill came up. What did we give up, one tonight on the PK? So they came up pretty big at times, but we’ve just got to stay out of the box.”
Ruml made it 2-0 with a shorthanded goal at 15:34 of the second period, exactly two minutes after Frank Marrelli of Ottawa and Nick Wellenreiter and Ride all went off for roughing. Ruml drove to the net off the left wing and slipped the puck past McIvor on the backhand, with assists to Jack Dever and Kuhta.
Pronin, assisted by Evgeny Dubrovtsev, stepped around Eshkawkogan off the right wing and went to the slot to beat Fetterolf past his glove at 3:38 of the third period, but the Battalion’s celebratory lift was short.
Just 35 seconds later, Kingwell got loose in front of the net to take a pass from Connor Bewick on the right boards and reestablish Ottawa’s two-goal lead.
McIvor left for a sixth attacker with 2:14 to play, but North Bay couldn’t pull closer.
The Battalion plays host to Kingston at 2 p.m. Sunday.
BATTALION BULLETS: Capitol Centre Night saw Lance Anderson of The Last Waltz sing O Canada, while prizes included tickets to Howie Mandel, James Barker Band and others. Show tickets were on sale at a booth in the concourse … Marrelli and North Bay’s Amidovski scrapped 29 seconds into the middle period, with each receiving a fighting major … While they managed to put 22 shots on net, the Troops suffered from wildness throughout the game, firing wide on numerous chances … The Battalion went 0-for-3 on the power play. Ottawa was 1-for-5 … Opening lines featured Procyszyn centring left winger Ryder Cali and right winger Moses, Ihnat Pazii pivoting left winger Wellenreiter and right winger Amidovski and Cam Warren centring left winger Pronin and right winger Parker Vaughan. Dubrovtsev centred left winger Nolan Laird and right winger Ryder Carey … Defence pairings had Ride with Brandt Harper, Jonathan Kapageridis with Kent Greer and Aaron Enright with Adrian Manzo … Jack Lisson backed up McIvor … The Battalion was without Charlie Larocque, Briir Long, Declan Gallivan and Carter Kunopaski … Jax Pereira has been assigned to the junior A Powassan Voodoos … Ottawa announced June 10 the signing of free agent Fetterolf after he played last season for Gilmour Academy of Gates Mills, Ohio, a Cleveland suburb. A resident of Sewickley, Pa., a Pittsburgh suburb, Fetterolf is committed to Penn State … Ottawa scratched Kaleb Dietsch, Zach Houben and Caden Kelly.
